It shouldn't surprise you to learn that a new live-action version of 'The Jungle Book' is currently being written for Disney. After all, the company's latest (and so far successful) business plan has been to take previously successful animated properties and transform them into live-action spectacles. It worked for 'Pirates of the Caribbean' and 'Alice In Wonderland,' and it'll probably work for the wrapped 'Maleficent' and the about-to-shoot 'Cinderella.' So, 'The Jungle Book'? Why not?

As anyone who had a proper childhood could tell you, Disney previously adapted Rudyard Kipling's classic short story collection into an animated movie back in 1967, introducing several generations to the story of Mowgli, the boy raised in the jungle by wolves, and his various animal friends and enemies. Right now, you've probably just started humming "The Bare Necessities" to yourself. Don't worry. You are not alone.

Although many details are still unknown, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Justin Marks, who wrote a draft of the reboot of 'The Raven' and worked on Disney's halted '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,' is writing the screenplay. We can safely assume that the project won't be a musical and will probably be more of a straightforward adventure movie, using Kipling's novel as a jumping-off point.

This isn't the first time Disney has made a live-action 'Jungle Book' movie. You may recall the largely forgotten 1994 version of the film, which saw director Stephen Sommers transform the story of Mowgli into a family-friendly action movie, similar in tone to his work on 'The Mummy' a few years later. Although it didn't exactly light the box office on fire, we're probably looking at a very similar project here ... it'll just be a lot more expensive.

Disney hasn't revealed a release date, but considering that the screenplay is just now being written, expect 2015 at the earliest.